Fire Lady Ila
by knittingpanda
Summary: Who was the wife of Fire Lord Azulon? Who was the grandmother of Lu Ten, Zuko, and Azula? What is her story?
1. Who wants to hear a story?

**Disclaimer: I only own this plotline. Not Avatar, not my sister's iPod…though that'd be nice. :D**

**Man, don't you just love plot bunnies? I got this idea from "Zuko Alone" when Azulon died.**

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"_You were husband of Ila, now passed…"_

_Fire Lady Ila was the wife of Azulon. How did she die? How did she come to marry one of the most powerful men in the Avatar world? What is her story?_

_Here is my take on the story of Zuko's grandmother._

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"Oma, wait!" cried 4-year-old Zuko, pulling 12-year-old Lu Ten behind him.

"I will, don't worry," Fire Lady Ila smiled and waited for them to catch up to her.

"Follow me." She led them to a little turtle-duck pond and sat down. "Son, will you get me a cup of tea?" she said to a passing Ozai. There was a quick flash of irritation on his face and then he smiled.

"Of course, mother," he said smoothly. It would not do well to ruin his image of a worthy heir and Fire Prince by dishonoring his mother. He hurried inside and called for Iroh.

"Now, my little grandchildren," she said. Lu Ten smiled. He wasn't little. "Who would like to hear a story?"

Zuko looked questioning. "Whas da stowy abouh?"

"Oh, just some family history," Lu Ten groaned. "But it's not just a list of 'Fire Lord Sozin, husband of Fire Lady Anla, was the father of Fire Lord Tungsten and Fire Princess Sanya' and all that boring stuff. I think this will be interesting for you," she smiled, the gesture lighting up her wrinkled face. "And afterwards I'll show you some fireworks…"

Zuko clapped his hands with delight and his cherubic face mirrored his grandmother's. Lu Ten sighed. "Fine," he said. "But they better be some pretty good fireworks."

"Only the best for a future Fire Lord," she said, still smiling. Just then Prince Ozai walked out and handed the tea to his mother. "Mmm, that smells good. Thank you, son." He bowed and left. Ila sipped the tea before continuing.

"Alright, here we go. I'm going to tell you a little bit about my life, and how I got here."

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20-year-old Mei Lin screamed with pain as her daughter came into the world. "Breathe with me," the midwife said. "In, out. In, out. You're doing fine. In, out. Oh, this is a beautiful baby girl! She's just healthy as can be. In, out. In, out. Just keep breathing. Have you thought of a name yet?"

"Ila," Mei Lin gasped out. "Her name is Ila."

"What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl! Are you ready to take her yet? I've washed her and it looks like she's falling asleep."

"Yes. I want to hold her." She looked calmed down and reached out for her daughter. "Oh, she is beautiful. My beautiful daughter." A sad look crossed her face. "But my husband won't be pleased. He wanted a son."

"Well, he's got what he's got, hasn't he? I think you're healthy enough to produce many more healthy children."

Mei Lin smiled at the nurse's comforting chatter. "Yes," she said, and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. The nurse smiled at her and gently pried the baby away from her, setting little Ila into a crib nearby. Then she called some servants in to move Mei Lin into a more comfortable bed and got to cleaning up the exhausted girl.

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Princess Ursa walked into the garden, holding 2-year-old Azula. "What are you so interesting in?" She said to Zuko and Lu Ten.

"I'm just telling them some stories that I thought they might like to hear," Ila said.

"Oh, do you mind if I join?"

"Not at all. But you have to let me hold my little granddaughter first."

After a minute, Azula started getting squirmy and the Fire Lady handed her back to her mother. Her happy face turned sad as she thought of what story she would tell next.

6-year-old Ila cringed as her mother screamed again. She was awaiting her third sibling, and this time she had a bad feeling. So far, Mei Lin had had all girls and the Nobleman Qin (her husband) was not happy. Ila just hoped that her father had not somehow killed her mother and that this one was finally a son.

Suddenly the house was deathly quiet. The silence was only punctuated by a six year old's sob as she realized what had happened.

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"Taken from the mother's dead body, you say?" was the whisper of servant as they talked about the new baby boy. Ila sighed, no longer an innocent child. She ran up to the room she shared with her sisters. Nobody had ever said anything about how her father could easily afford to have one or two of the five bedrooms in their house filled, but today she needed the comfort of her two small siblings. They cried and hugged together as the realization came that mother wasn't there anymore.

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**So how do you like the first chapter? Tell me what you think! **


	2. A not so unexpected announcement

**Here comes the long-awaited second chapter!! (not really :D)**

**Oh, and just for clarification, the big line (like the one above "the three daughters") signals a change in perspective between Ila's youth and where Oma Ila is talking to Zuko and co. Or Author's notes, I guess…**

**Three dashes (hyphens, whatever you want to call them) (**---**) means it's the same story, per se, but it's going from one event in the same time frame to another.**

**nine dashes (**---------**) means it's not changing perspective, but it's changing time/story.**

**Make sense?**

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The three daughters of the nobleman Qin sat in silence as their father regarded them quietly. 

"Girls," he said, "I have come to realize that you are getting older. **(a/n no duh!)** Despite the efforts of the servants and your own efforts," he nodded at Ila, the eldest, "you are not being brought up properly. I am going to remarry." Ila's younger sisters gasped, but the 10-year-old stayed silent.

"The woman I have chosen will be kind to you, and this marriage will be political as well as satisfying. You are dismissed." He pointed imperiously at the door. "Now I just have to start searching for proper husbands…" he added in an undertone. Ila was not yet out of the room, her bowed head touching her chest as she tried to keep up the façade of an obedient daughter.

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"Thas not vewy nice," Zuko said. Ila smiled at him. 

"Well, when I was young, girls were brought up to do everything their father said." Ursa nodded understandingly. "If my father wanted me to dance outside in my underclothes," -Zuko and Lu Ten both giggled- "then I would have to!"

She quickly schooled her expression. "But of course, it is still a lot like that now. This little girl," -she patted Azula's cheek- "will have to do everything her father says too. Oh, I'm sure it won't be as strict as it was 'in my day', but she will hopefully be a proper daughter to a Fire Prince."

Just then Iroh walked out of the palace. "What are you kids doing here?" He winked at Ursa, who smiled slightly.

"Oh, we were just telling some stories. Care to join us?" Fire Lady Ila smiled at her firstborn.

"I think I just might! You don't tell stories very often, mother."

"Well, no better time to start! My, this group is just getting bigger by the minute."

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Ila sighed at her good fortune at having a new mother that was young, pretty, and kind. 

"How did you come to marry father?" she asked her new stepmother. "Well," Lady Ting started, "my father kind of just told me that I was going to marry your father. A month later, I was here! That's normal, though," she said at Ila's disgusted look. "Yes, it's quite often that young girls get whisked away as soon as they turn sixteen to marry old, rich, nobles. If they're from a good family, that is," she added. "I was lucky enough to be able to wait till I was 18 to get married. I'm only nineteen now."

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Ila reflected later on the things her stepmother had said. It seemed strange that old men would want to marry girls not much older than herself. Though in a twisted sort of way, it made perfect sense. Rich noblemen would not want to marry a woman their age. It would probably reflect their own frailty. Ila did not want to get married.

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For a girl nearing her sixteenth birthday, summons from her father to speak with her alone is not a good sign, or something to be looked forward to. As he waited for her to seat herself (it was really a kneel with her head bowed), Ila's father had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Stand up." He ordered. She obeyed. "Turn around slowly." She obliged, her head bowed the whole time. "Look at me and come closer." He took her chin and turned her head side to side, then sat back at looked at her. She returned his gaze firmly before his eyes narrowed a bit and she lowered hers.

"A bit defiant, this one. Rather pretty, a lot like her mother. Yes, this will do nicely. Sit down." He talked about her as if she wasn't there. She returned to her seat and looked at the floor.

"Ila," her father started, "Sixteen is a fine time to get married." She slowly let out the breath she was holding. Now the only surprise would be who it was.

Nobleman Qin paused. "Fire Lord Tungsten has requested that you marry Fire Prince Azulon."

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**Cliffie, don'tcha think? **


End file.
